Dyson to convert former MoD land into tech campus, increasing UK footprint tenfold

Technology and innovation firm Dyson announced a tenfold increase in its UK corporate footprint on Tuesday (28 February) via an investment in its second Cotswold technology campus on former Ministry of Defence land at Hullavington, Wiltshire.

The new campus, situated in the 517-acre space in the vicinity of Dyson's global headquarters in Malmesbury, will create more high-skilled jobs in the country while boosting British exports, the company said.

Dyson added that it has more than tripled its UK headcount in the past five years and currently employs 3,500 people in the country, half of which are engineers and scientists.

Founder of the company Sir James Dyson said: "After 25 years of UK growth, and continuing expansion globally, we are fast outgrowing our Malmesbury campus. The Hullavington Campus is an investment for our future, creating a global hub for our research and development endeavours. It will enable us to continue creating world-class products and jobs right here in the Cotswolds".

Dyson has already committed £250m to its existing Malmesbury hub, which will also become home to the Dyson Institute of Engineering and Technology from September. Site preparations for the first phase of the Hullavington campus will begin next week.

Sir James, a prominent Brexiter, is also investing £15m over the next five years to tackle head-on what he describes as "the dearth of skilled engineers in the UK."

The government welcomed Dyson's move, with Prime Minister Theresa May saying the move would "cement the UK's position as a world leader in high-tech engineering".

"This investment is a vote of confidence in our modern industrial strategy. Dyson's exporting strength and commitment to creating jobs in Britain is a real success story that demonstrates the opportunity our plan to create a truly global Britain can present. It is also good to see that the site chosen by James Dyson will bring former MoD land back into productive use."

The Hullavington announcement builds upon the opening of Dyson's new Technology Centre in Singapore two weeks ago. Dyson employs 1,100 people in Singapore and is growing its engineering team there by 50%.